Step inside your social media stream

Global beverage brands have long been establishing themselves with extreme sports, athletes and events. American soda brand Mountain Dew is no exception with their new ‘Dew Bottle Tool’ targeted at street skateboarders, because that’s just how they dew. The new custom-made, limited edition bottle tool allows skateboarders to fix their wheels on the go, claiming to be the “first soda that is also a tool, a soda for the skaters and a tool for their skateboards”. The tool, which is an indent crafted into the cap of the bottle, specially shaped to fit a skateboard nut means a quick fix is only a few turns away.

Big falls, an overenthusiastic ollie or kickflip will no longer be the end to a skateboarder’s day. Just tip, grip and turn this limited edition Mountain Dew bottle and it will be back in action in dew time.

Video of the week

It means no worries, and the cast of The Lion King in Australia were feeling the same vibes on their flight to Sydney after the season launch in Brisbane. One lucky group of airplane passengers finally got to know what it really means to have a great in-flight entertainment when the cast sang “The Circle of Life,” as passengers and crew boarded the plane.

Introducing, Social Soul. Delta Air Lines’ immersive digital installation that puts you inside a social media stream. Sounds daunting, doesn’t it? Made for this year’s TED conference in Vancouver, the installation uses a custom algorithm that exhibits your social media profile in a 360-degree display of mirrors, monitors and sound. The experience then matches participants with other TED conference attendees, prompting users to connect with their “Social Soul Mate” by receiving a tweet encouraging them to chat offline. Delta was the official airline sponsor of the conference, with the Social Soul installation inspired by the company’s “Innovation Class” initiative – their partnership with LinkedIn which was featured in Issue 202.

Website of the week

Video curation services are positioned to be a powerful new tool in the expanding realm of online video. A few companies are already tackling the frustratingly scattered mosaic of Youtube and other online video content, new to the scene is Pluto.TV. Offering up to 100 organised channels on its site with an aim to make perusing online videos easier and more enjoyable, users can navigate through the guide both vertically and horizontally from their desktop or mobile device to select content at their leisure.

Football fans around the world are counting down to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, so it comes as no surprise Pepsi has integrated the “people’s game” into their latest Pepsi Max campaign, Now Is What You Make It. The interactive video unites the football and music worlds through a choose-your-own-adventure format, unleashing a new era of branded content. Digital beat star Stony collaborates with singer Janelle Monáe and the 2014 Pepsi Max All-Star football team to make music on the streets of Rio. The cursor changes at 11 points during the video, allowing users to unlock additional scenes including an impromptu Samba dance, an extended performance of Janelle Monáe and a personalised autograph from Sergio Ramos.

Keep your cursor over the video. Keep an eye out for when it changes and click to change the story.

App of the week

When USTWO describe their recently released mobile game Monument Valley as “an illusory adventure of impossible architecture and forgiveness” you’d be forgiven for rolling your eyes and moving on. But I urge you to take some time to stop and look because what they’ve created is stunning. In truth, less of a game and more of a journey through a beautifully realised M.C Escher inspired landscape. Monument won’t take most people long to complete (maybe an hour or two); if that’s a problem then you are missing the point – my advice is to enjoy the journey. Available for iOS now and Android soon.